Devices for installing (or removing) modular electronic components on a substrate such as a printed circuit board generally fall into two categories, namely those which use a heated head which contacts each of the terminals to melt the solder of the terminals, or those which use a blast of hot air to melt the solder. Due to the ever increasing miniaturization of electronic systems and individual components in them, difficulties are encountered in positioning the components with respect to the installation device in order to ensure that the terminals of the components are aligned with the terminals on the printed circuit board and also to ensure that all of the terminals are heated equally in order to obtain evenly formed connections without solder flowing between the terminals on the component and thus shorting them or otherwise damaging them. The positioning of components with respect to an installation device is usually carried out manually. In light of the difficulties which are encountered in accurately positioning the components with respect to the printed circuit board, especially small components, the procedure is frustrating and time consuming, and sometimes leads to incompletely formed connections and possibly damage to a component as well as surrounding components.
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a locator device for facilitating installation of electronic components on a substrate.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a locator device which includes a means for centralizing the component with respect to a nozzle of an apparatus for installing components on a printed circuit board.